PalmettoTiger

sweet. Thanks. PTiger

I'm getting ready to start jumping again after a few months off. I just had a repack + inspection so I'm confident that my rig is fine, but I'd like to know if there's a checklist anywhere for looking over your rig. Things like ensuring your riser connectors are secure, your 3-rings are properly assembled and not corroded, etc. Also, what kind of maintenance and inspection does my rig need during the season? In other words, what kind of problems get just a little bit worse with each jump, like velcro wearing out? (yes, I know, RTFM, I will. But I wanted to ask this before I forgot about it...) PTiger

Wow. I think I'll work on my flexibility instead. Thanks riggerrob! PTiger

I had a bigger reserve put in my container (Vector II DOM 11/93) and now it's a little less flexible, to the point that slipping on my legstraps can be a hassle. If I could get the loops extended a little, it would be a big help. Is this going to be a major modification that needs to go back to the factory, or is it something that can be done pretty easily by most riggers? PTiger

Born - Columbia, SC ("My dear South Carolina: too small to be a nation, and too large to be an asylum.") Currently - at school in Princeton, NJ Home DZ - Cross Keys NJ during school year; St. George SC during summer Born: 6th May 2000, Cross Keys PTiger

In the "protecting skydivers from themselves" vein, 120 days makes more sense than 180, since it makes a person more likely to get a reserve repack and (more importantly, IMO) full inspection of their gear at least once during the season, rather than just at the beginning of the season. Excessive wear or other dangerous conditions which develop over the summer jumping season may go unnoticed by the average skydiver giving his/her gear a once-over before each weekend, but a rigger doing an inspection and repack is much more likely to spot it. PTiger EDIT: sorry about the 'whereas' and 'in this context' crap, I just finished off my political theory final and I'm set on the "bullshitting eloquently" mode.

I figured I'd post some pictures. The attached one is of the "pantheon" that sits in my window. See if you can identify all of the figurines and objects! PTiger

If you do put it up for sale online, be sure to use an escrow service like Trade-Enable. It's pretty easy to set up, doesn't cost too much extra, and will guarantee you don't get stiffed. PTiger

Yeah, I'm pretty cautious about it too; wearing briefs rather than boxers eases my conscience but "ensuring proper placement of important equipment" includes a nut-check before I get to the door. I wonder what whuffos and first-timers think when they see all the guys in the loading area obsessively fumbling with their nuts? PTiger

Macaulay? Is that you? PTiger

0 - Newbie 50 - Enthusiast 300 - Old Hand 700 - Addict 1000 - Veteran 1500 - Pooh-Bah I can't remember what post count you need for Carpal Tunnel, but I bet Clay printed and framed the post that put him in a class by himself... PTiger

Always wear mine. I like it to be snug too; when I've got some good road I love cornering hard and fighting against the inertia, and having the belt lock and hold me in place. It reminds me of my canopy opening, and that's always a great feeling. Especially given the alternative. It also reminds me a lot of rollercoasters and other thrill rides - and when I was little I was obsessed with Top Gun and always dreamed of being a fighter pilot, so driving my car right at the edge of its ability is probably just an extension of that dream. I insist that passengers wear their seatbelts (with the way I drive sometimes, most don't need to be reminded). Once I was giving a lift to a classmate I wasn't very fond of. I asked her to buckle in, and she asked "Why, are you that kind of a driver?" in a nasty tone. I told her "No, but it's a small car and I don't want you to ruin my windshield." She shut up for the rest of the (mercifully short) ride. PTiger

okay, for anyone who doesn't know how six degrees works - supposedly everyone in the world is connected by six steps of kinship, friendship, or close professional association. I bet you'd need more than six steps to get everyone in the world, but considering who I have in four steps or less, six steps can get you to almost anyone. Ron Jeremy: 3 steps 1. Me to Alyssa Love's husband (I know him through a gaming website we both post on) 2. him to Alyssa Love 3. her to Ron Jeremy, who she *ahem* worked with. Ted Kaczynski, aka The Unabomber: 3 steps 1. Me to my neighbor, David Bruck 2. Him to his co-counsel in the Susan Smith trial 3. Her to the Unabomber, whom she defended in his trial President John F. Kennedy: 3 steps 1. Me to my friend Carl Sloan 2. Carl to his father, Frank Sloan 3. Mr. Sloan to President Kennedy (Mr. Sloan served as JFK's South Carolina campaign chairman during the 1960 presidential campaign) Col. Paul Tibbets: 4 steps Me to my Aunt Madeleine Her to her adopted son Pete Pete to his wife (Kaya, I think...?) Kaya to her grandfather, Paul Tibbets. Anyone else here have interesting connections? PTiger

Time for a little Six Degrees of Separation tidbit! Through me, y'all are connected to Ron Jeremy in four steps. And with the remaining two steps, you can probably hop to the rest of the porn industry... PTiger

Viking, I don't know what codecs those videos used, but I do know I have the latest DivX version on my computer. Go to http://www.divx.com and look for the version 4.12 download. Also, if anyone is fed up with Windows Media Player, there's an excellent alternative out there at http://www.sasami2k.com. It's lacking a playlist function right now but other than that it's complete and it's only a 732 kB download - so much smaller than Windows Media Player it makes you wonder what kind of junk is piggybacking along with the Microsoft product. PTiger

holy SHIT Pammi that's my hometown!! I love it there. I figure you're doing all the research on schools and jobs and housing so I'll spare you the pitch on that. As for DZs, there are two fairly close by. Blue Sky Adventures is in St. George, about 80 minutes down I-26. 1 King Air full time, air-conditioned manifest building, showers... what else do you want to know about it? (It's my home DZ.) Also, Skydive Carolina is about 90 minutes north of Columbia, in Chester. I've never been there so I can't give you the scoop, but their website is http://www.skydivecarolina.com. If you have any questions about Columbia just PM me or even call. I'd be happy to answer them for you! PTiger

A flying squirrel of a different kind A cool bike stunt - if it had worked PTiger

I've got one, it includes having someone else hold onto my chest strap while I lean back, even before I get on the plane. Thankfully today I wasn't jumping, just pulling the rig on to make sure it fit okay with the larger reserve. Rest assured that when I do jump, I'm doing a full check as per my usual, just like the one you described. PTiger

I jumped at X-Keys and Delmarva when I was done with student status but short of my A-license. It probably helped that I had my own rig with a Cypres. But both DZs were cool about it; just checked my logbook and asked enough questions to be sure I knew what I was doing. I think your best bet is going to be calling ahead to let them know your status, and find out their policies. PTiger

GIVE US THE LINK FOOL!! PTiger

There may not be a need to chip in for a motel room - I'm about an hour away from X-Keys and I have some floorspace in my dorm I can share, if you want to go the ultra-cheap route. I should know this week whether I can go or not; PM me if you're interested. PTiger

I'm waiting to hear back from a few other guys about a backpacking trip that weekend, but if it falls through I'll DEFINITELY be at Freeze Fest. PTiger

Hey, if you put a bigass wing on the monitor, I bet you get more frames per second. PTiger

Hell yeah, I always give myself a check before I get in the plane and get one from someone else too. Maybe I should be getting two from other people though... PTiger